1. Field of the Invention
Examples of the present disclosure relate generally to mounts for solar panels, and more specifically to mounts that enable the adjustment of solar panels about two axes—for tracking purposes—using a single motor.
2. Background of Related Art
A variety of solar trackers exist that attempt to adjust solar panels during the day and/or over the course of the year to increase solar collection efficiency. The efficiency of a solar panel is directly related to the angle of incidence of sunlight on the panel. In other words, the more directly the sunlight impinges on the solar panel, the higher the percentage of energy contained in the sunlight that can be recovered.
Rotating a solar panel about a single axis to follow the sun as it moves from east to west during the day can improve efficiency as much as 30%. Because the earth is tilted on its axis, however, adding a second axis to the tracker can increase efficiency by approximately another 6%.1 Unfortunately, the addition of a second axis generally requires at least the addition of a second drive system (e.g., a motor and transmission) and controller. In a large solar array, this can significantly increase both the initial cost and the operating costs due to increased capital costs, maintenance costs, and other factors. 1Gay, C. F., et al., “Performance advantages of two-axis tracking for large flat-plate photovoltaic energy systems”, Conf. Rec. IEEE Photovoltaic Spec. Conf., 16: 1368 (1982); King, D. L., et al., “Analysis of factors influencing the annual energy production of photovoltaic systems”, Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, Conference Record of the Twenty-Ninth IEEE, 1356-1361 (May 2002).
What is needed, therefore, is a solar tracking system that enables tracking through at least two axes of motion, yet requires only one drive and/or control system. The system should be robust, simple, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. It is to such a system that examples of the present disclosure are primarily directed.